His pro basketball career gained traction here. In his three and a half seasons with the Orlando Magic, he developed from a fringe NBA player with potential into a legitimate NBA starter with a bank account to match.

“It was a great three and a half years that I spent here,” Gortat said Sunday, after the Phoenix Suns completed their shootaround at Amway Center. “I met a lot of great people. I learned a lot. I learned a lot of discipline. I learned a lot about basketball. I still have good feelings about this team and about this city.”

Gortat averaged 15.4 points and 10.0 rebounds a game last season in Phoenix.

He benefited immensely from playing alongside pick-and-roll guru Steve Nash, and now, by his own admission, he and new Suns point guard Goran Dragic still are learning each other’s tendencies.

Gortat hopes to redeem himself after his last game against the Magic went poorly for him. Matched against Dwight Howard and facing a defense that took away his pick-and-roll game, and perhaps a bit psyched out, Gortat scored just four points in a 103-93 Phoenix loss.

“I think I made two airballs,” he said. “Hopefully, this year’s only going to be one. I would like to win the game.”